From the Ashes
by Txstate1992
Summary: James and Ariana have defeated the new Dark Lord and graduated from Hogwarts, but will they be able to get through their biggest challenge yet, life after Hogwarts? How will Ariana and James handle living in the real world after everything they've been through? I guess you'll have to read to find out! :) This is the story that follows Fighting the Fire. Rated T for language
1. Chapter 1

******So I received a few reviews and quite a few PM's saying that they would enjoy reading a story about what happens _after_ everything went down, so here it is! I hope y'all enjoy it!**

**I'm still not JK Rowling, therefore I do not own any of her characters. If you don't recognize the character from any of the books then it's probably one of my characters. :)**

**From the Ashes**

**Chapter 1**

"I can't believe today is your wedding day!" I say to the girl in front of me, grinning at the blushing reflection I see. I twist her curly brown hair into an intricate updo, pinning different sections down before placing the veil on top of her head. "Are you nervous?"

My best friend shakes her head, loose curls falling free around her face. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life, actually."

I let out a sad sigh and say, "I really do miss living with you. It's so sad to wake up and not see you every day..."

She laughs, being careful not to shake her head too much. "You saw my face every day for four years after we graduated. Besides, you definitely upgraded to a better roommate. I'm sure living with James isn't that bad."

"It's great, actually. But it's not the same as living with you." I help her up off the floor, looking at her reflection in the mirror in front of us. "So Bri, what do you think?"

She smiles at her reflection, removing the veil from her head so she can get a better look at her hair. "Ari, it's perfect. You know, if this Auror thing falls through, you could always go to muggle school and become a cosmetologist..."

I roll my eyes, swatting at her arm with a laugh. "You're all jokes today, huh?"

She shrugs her shoulders as she crosses the small room and gazes at her dress for the umpteenth time today. "What can I say? I'm just excited..."

I look over at the clock on the wall and nod to the dress. "I do believe it's time you put that on, Miss Franklyn."

She grins at me as she says, "Today will be the last time you can call me that. From tonight on, I will be known as Mrs. –"

The door to the room opens and Brittany's mom pokes her head in, tears pooling in her eyes when she sees Brittany standing next to the dress. "You two almost ready?"

I nod in response, waving her in. "Yes, mum. I was just telling Bri that it's time to put our dresses on. Can you help her with her dress while I go put mine on?"

Mom nods, a proud smile on her face as she gives her daughter some tips for a successful marriage. I internally laugh at the irony, since Brittany's mom and Brittany's dad are separated and have been for a while, and silently exit the room, my silver maid of honor dress in hand. However, before I head to the room across the hall to change into my dress, I want to make a detour.

I hang my dress in the room I'll be changing in then head for the stairs to the familiar building. I go down a single flight and approach the only room on that floor with an open door. I lightly knock on the door, poking my head into the room and grinning when I see my boyfriend, too preoccupied tying his tie to hear my knock. "James Potter... Don't you look dashing!"

He glances up at me and smiles, giving up on his tie completely and inviting me in. When he sees that I'm still in jeans and a t-shirt, he lets out a laugh and says, "You do realize this is a wedding, right?" I nod, so he adds, "You do know that you're _in_ the wedding, right?"

I nod again, invoking a smirk from him. "I do believe you're a bit underdressed..."

I grin at him, rolling my eyes as I tie his tie for him. "Oh shut it. I just wanted to see if you knew how our groom is doing?"

James nods, laughing when he says, "He's ecstatic, actually. He _does_ think that Grandma is going through far too much trouble, but she is very persistent and insisted that she take care of everything."

"That sounds like Grandma Weasley..." I say with a grin, finishing the knot on his tie and fitting it around his neck. "It really was nice of her to let them use the Burrow for their wedding..."

He shrugs, running a hand through his messy black hair. "You know how generous Grandma is. Besides, Bri is about to become family. Grandma sees it as only fair to welcome her into the family properly."

I give him a quick kiss and nod with a smile. "Speaking of Bri becoming family, I'm going to go get ready, but I'll see you soon."

I run up the stairs, not waiting for him to respond. I quickly go into my room and pull my silver strapless dress over my head, using my wand to fix my hair, and zip up the back. Once that's done, I rummage through the room for my silver heels, frowning when I remember that I didn't bring them with me. I hurriedly run across the hall to the room across from me, old floorboards creaking under my bare feet as I go, and burst into the room Brittany is getting dressed in, immediately stopping in my tracks and fighting the urge to cry when I see Brittany.

Brittany stands in front of the mirror, nervously double checking her wardrobe. Her dress is white and floor length with a small train behind, silver glitter blending into the edge of the bottom and a strapless bodice decorated with silver glitter along the trim. Her hair is pulled up into the intricate updo I did earlier and her veil is draped over her face. When I enter the room, she pulls the veil up and smiles at me, gesturing to her dress. "How do I look?"

I look over at her mom, who is wiping away a tear and smiling endearingly at her daughter, and then look back at Brittany, an involuntary smile forming on my face. "Bri, you look gorgeous..."

She laughs nervously, smoothing her hands uncertainly over her dress. "Are you sure? I feel like it's too much..."

I shake my head rapidly. "No! It's perfect! And-"

"_And_ it's time for Ari to get out there. The wedding should be starting any moment now and I imagine they're waiting on Ari to start." Her mom adds, shooing me out of the room.

I skid to a halt and yell, "Wait! I need my shoes!"

Brittany's mom opens the door again and thrusts a purple bouquet and my heels into my hands then shuts the door again. I run down the stairs, placing the bouquet in my mouth and cursing when I stumble down a few stairs as I attempt to pull my heels onto my feet. I get to the bottom floor and run into the kitchen, giving Grandma Weasley the best "I'm sorry" face I can must when she flashes me a stern look. "Ariana Brighton! _Where_ have you been? We've been waiting for you for at _least_ fifteen minutes!"

I continue to give her a contrite look as I say, "Sorry... It took me a bit longer to get ready than necessary..."

She huffs at me as she ushers me into the living room. "Just go get ready to walk the aisle."

I nod, sneaking a peak outside at the wedding arrangements and frowning when I realize I can't see anything. When she leaves me alone, I run to the window and pull the blinds to the side and get a clear look at the arrangements outside, once again frowning when I can only see a large white tent and a few straggling guests entering it.

Finally Grandma Weasley opens the back door and pokes her head in, saying with a smile, "It's time."

**Alright! So what did y'all think? I know it's a bit slow, but I promise it will pick up in the next few chapters. I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter. :)**

**Thanks!**

**-Tx :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I'm still not J.K. Rowling, therefore I don't own anything you recognize from the books/movies. :)**

**Chapter 2**

The loud music of the reception blares throughout the tall tent outside the Burrow. Purple and silver balloons line the ceiling of the tent with gold streamers trailing down from them, leaving a gold curtain hanging along the edges of the tent. The floor of the expansive tent has been transformed into a large wooden dance floor with round tables scattered throughout the space. Glowing, color changing orbs float around the dance floor, lighting the area with an array of bright colors. The guests from the wedding are scattered throughout the tent, some eating and socializing at the tables while others are dancing in the middle of the tent as the DJ plays song after song.

I see Brittany talking to her mom, who is sitting at another table, so I push myself up from the table I'm sitting at and walk over to her and her mom with a grin on my face. When I get over there, I wrap Brittany in a hug and say, "Congratulations, _Mrs_. _Weasley_!"

She laughs happily, returning my hug. "I can't believe the wedding is over! Six months of planning for it to be over in what seemed to be an instant!"

Brittany's mom laughs as she pats Brittany on the arm. "Oh sweetheart, while the wedding may be over, your married life has only just begun."

Brittany glances over at Freddie and grins. "I sure hope you're right."

As if he knew Brittany were looking at him, Freddie looks over at us and grins, silently beckoning Brittany over to him. I hear her giggle before hugging me again and walking over to him.

I shake my head and chuckle as I sit down next to Brittany's mom. "So mum, how does it feel to have all of your kids married off?"

Brittany's mom pats me on the hand and smiles, a hint of humor apparent on her face. "I still have one more child to marry off... I always thought Elijah would be the last one to get married, but you really take the cake on stalling. Even _he's _been married for two years now! You've been dating James for, what, five years now? When are you two going to get married?"

I smirk at her, rolling my eyes. "Mum, we've been over this. I'm not committing to anything until I've made my way in the world; I want to get more situated in my life. I've only just become an Auror, and-"

She shakes her head laughing. "You've been an Auror for almost two years now, dear! Now you're just holding out because of pure stubbornness! Ariana, just marry the boy already! I want grandkids!"

I glance over at the now thirteen year old Lily Luna Potter, who is dancing with her date, and sigh. "Mum..."

My sentence is interrupted, however, by someone placing a hand on my shoulder and asking, "Would you care to dance?"

I turn to face my current saviour, smirking when I recognize the face. "Why yes Landen, I would love to."

I look at Brittany's mother and shrug, a grin pulling at the corners of my mouth. "Sorry to leave, but I really don't want to be rude..."

She rolls her eyes and waves me off with a crooked smile, turning to the plate of food in front of her. I follow my rescuer to the middle of the tent and smile as I examine the face of one of my best friends. His black hair is neatly trimmed and combed to the side, a slight bit of scruff on his face. His grey eyes scan the room, glancing over at me every now and again. He is in a white dress shirt with a purple tie around his neck, black dress pants and black dress shoes.

I finally break the silence as we find a spot to dance. "Thanks for that... It was quite similar to an interrogation over there..."

Landen nods, a smirk on his face. "It was my pleasure. She _is_ right, though..."

I roll my eyes and sigh, smacking him on the arm. "Not you too... I don't want to go through this with you too... Hey, have you worked things out with Sophie?"

He shakes his head, laughing a bit. "No, not yet. Why does that concern you though?"

I smack him on the arm again, glaring at him playfully. "It concerns _me_ because you're my best friend and I care about you, dummy. I just want to see you happy."

He rolls his eyes and raises an eyebrow challengingly. "How do you know I'm not happy now?"

I sigh, shaking my head at him, as I say, "You're impossible, you know that? Look, you do what you'd like, but please let me know if you need anything, alright?"

He nods unconvincingly, a smirk spreading on his face as he says, "Looks as though my time with you is up..."

Before I can ask him what he means, I hear, "Time for big brother to cut in!"

Landen barely releases me before I'm whisked away and dancing with a well-dressed Eli. His normally messy brown hair is combed neatly and his face is cleanly shaven, his blue eyes gleaming with pride as he looks over at Brittany and Freddie. I smirk at him as I say, "I was having a lovely conversation with Landen until you so rudely pulled me away..."

Eli smirks, raising an eyebrow at me. "Really now? Because when I took over, it looked more like I was saving him rather than interrupting something..." I laugh and roll my eyes at him, ignoring the triumphant grin on his face as he changes the subject. "So have you seen my dad yet?"

I grimace, shaking my head. It's a well-known fact that Eli and Brittany's dad hates me and thinks I'm a horrid influence on his children, and he was one of the few people I was dreading seeing today. "Thankfully, no. Though that could be because I've been actively avoiding him since he got here this morning..."

Eli flashes a grin at me, leading me over to a table so we can sit and eat. "You know he doesn't hate you _nearly_ as much as he did. Once Bri and I explained everything you did to help the muggle and wizarding world, his opinion about you changed a bit."

I give him a skeptical look, taking a seat next to him as he places a piece of cake in front of me. "The point is that he still _hates_ me, even if it is only a little bit."

He laughs, smirking deviously as he says, "Well he's going to see you when you give your toast..."

I shake my head, returning his smirk. "Bri said no toasts from anyone. She said it would embarrass her to no end and she would rather her wedding and reception went embarrassment free."

He smiles as a tall woman with long, curly brown hair and brown eyes walks over and gives him a kiss before sitting down with us, giving me a distasteful glance before she says to Eli, "_Sweetheart_, I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Eli sighs as he gestures over to me and says, "Natalia, dear, I was catching up with my dear sister, as I told you I would be."

Natalia shoots me another dirty look while saying, "Yes... Your 'sister'..."

She then leans over and whispers something to Eli, which evokes an eye roll from both him and me before Eli sighs again and rises from the table as he says, "Well, Ari, it's been fun. But it's time for my wife and me to head back home."

I roll my eyes again as I loudly ask, "_Nat_, you're really going to make him leave his own sister's wedding? What kind of a sister-in-law are you?"

She glares at me, answering acidly. "We have things to discuss... _Alone_."

I nod, giving her as sarcastic a look as I say, "Right, right... And these _things_ couldn't wait until _after _his sister's wedding, right?"

Eli sighs loudly, holding up his hands in defeat. "Ari. Nat. Claws away please." He looks at me and adds, "There are a lot of people here. I doubt Bri will even notice I'm gone..."

I glare at Natalia pull Eli into a hug. "You're a liar and I hate your wife, but I'll try to keep Bri off your back for having to leave... Love you big brother."

He returns my hug and whispers, "Thanks, wish me luck. Love you."

With that, he grabs his wife's hand and walks over to congratulate Brittany and Freddie on their marriage. I make a face at the retreating form of Eli's wife before getting up from the table and walking over to Teddy, who's standing next to the exit scanning the dance floor. "Hey Teddy, have you seen James?"

Teddy nods his greeting, rubbing his hand through his already messy blue hair then shakes his head. "Sorry, I haven't. I'm actually looking for Victoire. Maybe we can look for them together? Two sets of eyes are better than only one."

I nod with a grin, turning and standing next to him so that I can see the rest of the tent. "So how've you been?"

"I've been good. How about you?"

I shrug with a nonchalant smile. "I've been good. Are you enjoying your winter holiday or are you ready to get back to teaching the students of Hogwarts some Defense Against the Dark Art?"

He nods with a smile, a sigh escaping his lips. "I am thoroughly enjoying my holiday. While I love teaching, it's definitely nice to have a break. Are you still enjoying being an Auror?"

I nod and smirk, thinking back to how bad I was when I first became an Auror. "I am, actually. I wasn't very fond of it at first, but I'm definitely enjoying it now."

Teddy laughs then gestures across the tent, to a long table full of food. "There's James."

At the same time, I gesture to a table nearby and say, "There's Vic!"

We bid each other adieu with a grin and a nod then head our separate ways. When I get over to James, who is still standing at the table putting food on his plate, I steal a strawberry off his plate and pop it into my mouth, smirking at him when he turns and sees that I was the one who did it. "A whole bowl full of fruit and you _still_ decide to steal some off _my _plate?"

I shrug my shoulders and grin. "I guess some things will never change... Are you really all that surprised?"

James shakes his head while holding his plate out to me. "No, I guess I'm not..."

I accept his offering, taking an orange slice off his plate, and ask, "You remember that we're going to visit Al in Ireland tomorrow, right?"

He nods, adding, "And you remember that I have practice starting next week, right?"

"Of course!" I say with a grin and a wink. "You need it too... You're getting a bit flabby..."

He laughs and gives me a kiss. "You're rather rude, do you know that?"

I shrug, smirking at him. "I may have been told so once or twice before..."

James rolls his eyes and laughs before looking at his watch and asking, "What time is this thing supposed to end? It's already ten in the evening..."

As if on cue, Brittany and Freddie walk over to us hand in hand. I grin at them and say, "Congratulations again, you two! I really am extremely happy for the both of you."

James adds, "You two really are perfect for each other..."

Freddie grins at us and says, "Thanks. And thanks to both of you for being a part of the wedding. I appreciate it."

Brittany smiles, adding, "We both do."

Freddie continues to grin as he says, "Well, we're getting ready to leave for our honeymoon, but we didn't want to do so without thanking you two and saying goodbye."

James and I stand up and hug the two newlyweds, saying our goodbyes and wishing them a fun honeymoon. When that's done, they both walk to the front of the tent and yell goodbye to everyone, waving as they exit the tent.

Once the newlyweds have exited, people begin to file out of the tent, heading home after the long celebration. When James sees this, he grabs my hand and begins leading me toward the front of the tent. We're almost to the exit when I pull my hand from his and say, "You can go head up now if you'd like, but I'm going to see if Grandma Weasley needs help cleaning up."

James rolls his eyes, once again taking my hand and saying, "I'll go with you to ask..."

I grin, kissing him on the cheek. "You're such a good grandson..."

We wander around the tent until we find Grandma Weasley cleaning up dirty plates and cups with a flick of her wand. I approach her and ask with a smile, "Do you need any help cleaning?"

She looks at me and smiles kindly while shaking her head. "I actually have Ginny and Angelina helping me clean, but I appreciate you two coming to check! Now you two go into the Burrow and go to bed; I've got everything under control."

"Alright," James says, pulling on my hand, "Let's go to bed then."

I pull my hand free from his again and sigh. "Go on ahead; I'll be up in a moment."

James sighs, giving me a kiss on the forehead before leavig the tent. Once he's gone, I turn to Grandma Weasley once again and say, "Grandma Weasley?"

"Mhm?" she hums while continuing her cleaning.

I twiddle my thumbs as I say, "I just wanted to thank you for letting Bri and Freddie have their wedding here. I know it was a lot of work, and probably really inconvenient, but it turned out beautifully. I really appreciate you putting forth all that work for them."

She stops her cleaning and looks at me with a smile. "Dear, having the wedding here was my pleasure. It was no trouble at all to have it here and I'm glad Freddie found such a great girl to marry. She's family now, and I wanted to welcome her in right."

I grin, looking around at the tent. "Well you did a brilliant job of that. The wedding and reception were both amazing."

"As I said, it was my pleasure." She goes back to cleaning, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye as she adds, "Maybe one day I'll get to have James and your wedding here..."

I laugh uneasily and yawn before saying, "Well, I'm exhausted... Better head off to bed! Thank you again!"

I don't wait for her to answer before hastily exiting the tent and rushing into the Burrow. I walk to the stairs and head up to the second floor, entering the first room on the right. The lights are already off, so I'm left to undress in the dark. I kick off my heels and pull off my dress, remaining in my bra and knickers, and crawl into bed, snuggling up to James once I'm under the covers. I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and whisper goodnight before closing my eyes and falling asleep.

**Alright y'all! That was chapter 2! I really would love to know what you thought about it so please, leave me a review and let me know! :)**

**I'll post chapter 3 once I've got it typed up.**

**Thanks!**

**-TX :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Augh!" I yell as I sit upright, a cold sweat covering my body and my breath erratic and labored. I hold the covers tight against my chest while I look around, panicking as I try to remember where I am and jumping when someone touches my arm.

"Everything alright?" asks a sleepy voice next to me.

"James?" I look toward the source of the voice and, when I see that it is in fact James, I begin to remember where I am.

James nods, the weariness gone from his voice as he says, "Yeah, it's me. What's going on? Are you alright?"

I place my face in my hands and try to focus on slowing my still rapid heartbeat as I respond. "I'm fine... Just had another nightmare..."

He sits up next to me and rubs my back comfortingly. "Another one?" When I only nod, he adds, "Is there anything I can do? Do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head, freeing my face from my hands. "No... I just need to get some air. You can go back to sleep if you'd like. We still have about a half an hour until we leave for Ireland."

He gives me an uneasy look but lies back down when I leave the warmth and comfort of the bed and cross the cold wooden floor to the small window in the room. I pull open the shades, letting the little bit of early morning December sunlight into the room, using that light to search through my trunk and find a sweater and some pants to put on before going into the bathroom and brushing my teeth.

I finish brushing my teeth and grimace as I pull my tangled, shoulder length, blonde hair out of the bun I had it in last night. I attempt to run a brush through it and sigh when I realize that it's not going to look nice today and I'm simply going to have to put it in a braid. Once it's set in an unkempt braid, I exit the bathroom and tip toe down the stairs into the kitchen.

I assume that, since I'm up quite early, I'll be alone in the kitchen. However, as I enter the kitchen, I see Ginny and Grandma Weasley sitting at the table talking quietly over a cup of tea. When I see them, I can't stop the audible "Oh" that leaves my mouth.

The two women look at me and smile politely, their smiles becoming a bit more humorous as I babble out my apologies.

"Oh, I didn't know anyone else was awake. I'm sorry... I really just wanted some water and to clear my head... I hope I'm not interrupting anything! I can go back upstairs if you'd like, I wouldn't want to intrude... Sorry..."

Finally Ginny looks at her mother and laughs, gesturing for me to join them at the table. "Ari, dear, you're fine! You are more than welcome to join us!"

I hesitantly enter the kitchen and get myself a cup of water. "Are you sure? I really can take my water and go back upstairs..."

Grandma Weasley shakes her head and laughs. "You get your water and join us over here. No arguments."

I nod and grin, grabbing my cup and walking over to the table. I take a seat next to Ginny, awkwardly sipping my water, as she looks at her mother and says, "We were just talking about the Christmas party tomorrow night. Are you and James going to be coming back with Al in time for the party or are you just going to come back on Christmas day?"

"I haven't missed the Christmas party for six years! I don't plan on starting this year." I say with a grin. "James and I will be here for the party tomorrow night."

Grandma Weasley grins at Ginny, a pleased look on both their faces. "Perfect!" She looks at me and adds, "We asked James about it last night, but he didn't know if you'd planned on staying in Ireland longer than a day."

I roll my eyes and laugh. "Ireland is always going to be there... We'll be at the Christmas party tomorrow, I promise."

Ginny nods with a smile. "Good. I don't think the party would be the same without you and James there." She looks down at the clock on the wall and sighs, giving me a very motherly look. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to go to Ireland?"

I glance back at the clock and gasp when I realize we need to leave in fifteen minutes. I quickly drink the remaining water in my glass and get up from the table, smiling at them as I say, "Yes, thank you! And thank you for letting me join you!"

They both laugh as Ginny takes my cup and ushers me upstairs. "It was our pleasure. Now go!"

I quickly walk up the stairs to the second floor and enter the bedroom I spent the night in. I shut the door loudly behind me, startling James out of his short-lived sleep.

"Wha-?" James asks as he sits upright, his hand searching the bedside table for his wand.

I give him a repentant look as I stuff a shirt and a pair of pants into a bag. "Sorry, love... It's almost time for us to go to Al's..."

He groans, rubbing his face with his hands while slowly getting out of bed. "Couldn't you, just once, wake me up nicely?"

I smirk at him and say, "Maybe one day..." before walking over and giving him a kiss. "Now hurry up and get dressed. Al is expecting us there at ten o'clock and I want to go have some time to go explore Ireland before we go see him. We can go to the Cliffs of Moher first!"

He looks at the clock on the table and sighs as picks up his shirt out of his trunk and pulls it over his head. "It's 7:50. We have time. Besides, Al won't be upset if we're a few minutes late..."

I watch him pull on a pair of pants and smirk, raising my eyebrow impishly. "If we're late today, _you'll_ pay for it tonight..."

James narrows his eyes at me playfully. "I don't believe you..."

I shrug my shoulders casually as I say, "You know how stubborn I can be... Is that a chance you're willing to take?"

I watch his face as the truth of my words sinks in. "Alright, alright... I'm almost ready..."

"Perfect." I say, smiling triumphantly at him as he goes into the bathroom to finish getting ready. While he does that, I rummage through his trunk and pack him a change of clothes. As I grab a pair of pants out of the trunk, something falls from the pocket and tumbles to the floor. I fold up the pants and place them into the bag I've packed before gingerly picking up the crimson box off the floor and eyeing it skeptically.

He exits in the bathroom and grins at me while saying, "Alright, I'm ready to go!"

I look up at him and scowl a bit, tossing the little box in my hands to him. "What the hell is this?"

James catches the small velvet box and looks at me with wide eyes filled with a mix of fear and shock. "Uh..."

Before he can respond, I let out an angry huff and disapperate to the Cliffs of Moher, leaving him standing alone in our room.

**Alright y'all! Let me know what you thought about the chapter! Also, if y'all have any suggestions for upcoming chapters, let me know! I have most of the story planned out, but I'm always open to suggestions! :)**

**Thanks!**

**-Tx :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I hear a loud _POP_ behind me and, assuming that it's James following me, I whirl around and yell, "An _engagement _ring?! Really?! Were we even going to _talk_ about this first?!"

When I finally see the source of the _POP_, I realize I'm glaring at a very stunned woman wearing a hiking backpack and thick winter clothes. I immediately begin to feel remorse and start apologizing. "I'm so sorry! I thought you were-!"

The woman cuts me off by narrowing her eyes and yelling at me in another language I'm assuming is Swedish while bumping me with her shoulder as she walks past me, her yelling turning into more of a rant as she walks toward the edge of the cliffs.

I can feel the blush creeping up my face as the woman turns and glares at me one last time before venturing to the edge of the cliff and hastily setting up a climbing rope. I hear the sound of laughter behind me so, my anger returning, I turn around and glare at the person laughing. "Really, James?"

James attempts to stifle his laughter, his arms crossed tersely against his chest, as he says, "You deserved that a bit..."

I raise an eyebrow and clench my fists angrily. "I... What?!"

He shrugs his shoulders and scoffs as he explains. "Well, you _did_ overreact and throw something at me then leave before I had time to explain. It's only fair that someone did the same to you..."

I narrow my eyes and him and quietly say, "Nobody threw anything at me, so it's not _quite_ the same..."

James smirks at me as he says, "The day isn't over yet..."

I roll my eyes and cross my arms. "Are you going to explain or not?"

He counters my eye roll and walks closer to me, the sound of the waves crashing against the cliff side making it harder and harder to hear each other. "You're being quite unreasonable right now... Are we really going to have a row out here? You don't even have shoes on!"

I look down at my feet and wiggle my sock covered toes with a sigh, quickly disapperating back to the Burrow, putting on a pair of shoes and apperating back to the Cliffs of Moher and saying, "You know how I feel about marriage..."

James scoffs at me before saying, "You know, I honestly _don't_ know how you feel about it! Any time I try to bring it up or talk to you about it, you immediately shut the conversation down, insisting that 'you're just not ready for that big a commitment'! That's absolutely absurd! We've been dating for over _five_ years and you don't believe that you're ready for a commitment like that?! Literally _nothing_ would change except for the fact that you would be my wife rather than my girlfriend!"

I roll my eyes and laugh sardonically. "If, by being married, nothing would change then _why_ do you want to be married so badly?! Why do you have to have a marriage? Why can't you just let things stay the way they are?!"

"WHAT DO YOU HAVE AGAINST MARRIAGE?!" He yells, his hands thrown in the air dramatically.

I grunt in frustration, placing one of my hands on my forehead and the other gesturing between us. "IF WE DON'T GET MARRIED THEN YOU CAN STILL GET OUT OF _THIS_!" I take in his shocked expression and, after taking a calming breath, I elaborate. "If you finally realize that you can do so much better than me, that you can have any woman your heart desires, then you can leave without ever having to look back. No harm, no foul."

James stands in stunned silence for a few minutes, his face giving away the fact that he's having a hard time processing the new information he's just received. After a few minutes of tense silence he finally says, "No harm, no foul? Do you really believe that?"

I nod my head then shake it before letting out another frustrated grunt. "I don't know... I mean, have you honestly _never_ wondered if you really do love me or if you only stay with me because I'm one of the few people who understand what you've gone through and seen?"

Again, he stands in stunned silence for a few minutes as what I've just said sinks in. When he responds this time, he's quieter. "Is that what _you_ think? That I only stay with you because we went through everything together?"

"I don't know... I just don't want you to feel like you're trapped in anything..."

He smirks before responding, however, his response isn't what I'm expecting. Rather than yelling, or realizing that I'm right, he begins laughing. It starts of quiet but, after a bit, it gets louder and turns into more of a laughing fit. "You... I... That's... I'm-I'm sorry! Give me a mo'!"

I stomp my foot on the cold, snowy ground angrily. "This is nothing to laugh about, James Sirius Potter! I'm being serious!" I attempt to give him a moment to compose himself and, when he fails to do so, I murmur while storming off, "And you wonder why I don't talk about these things with you... Because you react like a twat, that's why!"

James jogs up behind me and, with a few post-hysteric chuckles, grabs my shoulder and stops me, the smirk audible on his face as he says, "Would you hold on a moment? Please?"

I whirl around with my arms crossed and say, "Look, it's obvious that you aren't going to take me seriously, so-"

He cuts me off by covering my mouth with his hand. "Are you _ever_ going to let me speak?" I nod tersely, so he takes a deep breath and begins. "First, I'm sorry I laughed. I was just a bit taken aback and amused by the fact that you think I might want out of this relationship. Do you _really_ doubt how much I love you? Are you really that insecure?"

I remove his hand from my mouth and say, "Yes, you git, I'm really that bloody insecure! I've seen the way women look at you when we go out! I've seen the way they look at _me_! Like they _know_ you could do better and yet you're settling for me! I'm afraid that you'll realize this too and want to leave! And, if that happens, it wouldn't be such a mess if we remained a dating couple rather than a married couple!"

He grabs my hands and sighs. "Ari, love, you can't get mad at me for your own insecurities... It's just not fair." I open my mouth to say something but he shakes his head and continues. "I love you very much and it's not right that I have to continuously try and prove that to you. Also, I don't love you because we've both been through the same horrendous things. I love you because, while some people may see stubbornness, I see determination. I love you because, when others see stupidity, I see bravery and a willingness to put the safety of others above your own. I love you _despite_ the fact that you can be a bit of a nutter, such as today, for an example, and I love the fact that you're willing to put up with me even when I act immature."

I wait a moment to make sure that he's finished before smirking at him and jokingly say, "Those are the _only_ reasons you love me?"

He shrugs while returning my smirk. "If I were to tell you all the reasons I love you then we would be here all day and, while I'm sure that would be _loads _of fun, I distinctly remember you threatening to withhold sexy time tonight if we arrive late to Al's..."

My smirk turns to a grin as I say, "Valid point! We only have an hour and a half left before we have to get to Al's place and we've only managed to annoy _one_ person here at the Cliffs of Moher!"

James chuckles while pulling me into a hug. "I guess we'd better get going then, huh?"

**Alright y'all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know the previous chapters have been a bit slow, but they will pick up. I promise!**

**I would love to hear your thoughts about the chapter and the story so far! I haven't gotten any reviews so far and it makes me a bit scared that people aren't enjoying the story... So please review! I will love you forever! :)**

**Thanks y'all!**

**-Tx :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

James and I stand outside a single level white apartment with a large glass door surrounded by a wooden frame. The sound of the waves rolling in at the nearby bay is audible from the doorstep and the aroma of the water fills the air. I look at the flowerbeds full of dead plants that surround the house and chuckle when I realize they're probably going to stay that way until someone new owns the apartment.

James loudly raps his knuckles on the door and, almost immediately, the large door swings open, revealing a slender woman with short blonde hair and light brown eyes standing in the open doorway wearing nothing but a rather long Irish National Quidditch Team jersey. A look of boredom sits on her face as she looks at me and James, sighing before she turns around and yells, "Albie! I think there are some people here to see you!"

I grab James' hand and grin when he looks at me and we both simultaneously mouth "_Albie_?"

A shirtless Albus Potter walks up to the door with a steaming mug in hand and a grin on his face. "Well if it isn't my favorite brother and the lovely Ariana! You two are early!"

James smirks as he says, "Well, miracles can happen with the right incentives..."

The blonde woman huffs impatiently as she looks at Al and whines, "Albie, it's _cold_ outside!"

Al sighs, giving us an apologetic look while gesturing for us to join him inside. "Yes, of course. James, Ari. Please come in. I'll give you a tour of the place."

James and I enter the apartment and I immediately take in my surroundings. The inside of the apartment is quite cosy, the walls of the entrance and what I can see of the living room and kitchen are made of grey stones of all sizes and the different colors of grey mixing together beautifully and the floors made of a dark brown wood. Al first leads us to a bedroom and takes a sip from his mug before saying, "This is the spare room. You two can either sleep here or in my room tonight. It's up to you."

The first thing I notice about the room is the unbelievably tacky bumblebee-and-sunflower covered wallpaper that lines the room. Suppressing the urge to pull out my wand and magically remove the horrid wallpaper from the walls, I take in the rest of the room. There's one window in the room, giving a direct view to the bay outside. Against the wall to my right is what looks to be a queen-size bed and across from that is a tall wardrobe with a full-length mirror hanging directly next to it. There is a door to the right of the bed, which I assume leads to the bathroom.

It takes me a moment to register what Al had just said, mostly because I was so distracted by the obnoxious wallpaper but, when I _do_ realize what he's said, I raise a questioning eyebrow at him and ask, "Why would we stay in your room?"

Al gives James a confused look then looks back to me and says, "I thought I told you guys... I'll be going to the Burrow tonight after the match to help Gran prepare for the party, so it'll just be you two here tonight. That's not going to be a problem, is it?"

I glance over at James and see him shrug, smirking as he glances back at me and says, "No, it shouldn't be an issue, should it Ari?"

I shake my head and laugh, ignoring the knowing smirk on Al's face. "No, not an issue at all..."

Al nods and takes another sip from his mug. "Good... My room is just across the hall. It's larger than this one, though it's still pretty bare since I've only been here for a few days, so we'll skip that one and head into another room."

James and I nod then follow Al out of the spare room, past the kitchen and into the living room. The living room, just as I had seen before, has gorgeous wood floors that are a rich brown color and stone walls that have an array of stone sizes, the different shades of grey mixing together nicely. A large green banner with the Irish National Quidditch team insignia hangs on one of the walls next to a picture of the Irish National Quidditch team. When I examine the picture more closely, I realize it's a picture of the 2016 season, which is the first year Al played on the team.

There are three emerald couches set around a large stone fireplace, one in front and two on either side of it. A picture of graduation garbed Al, flanked by Harry, Ginny, James, Lily, Teddy and me, standing outside of Hogwarts on his graduation day, hangs above the fireplace. Underneath the picture is his emerald green graduation cap, resting nicely atop the mantle of the fireplace next to his framed diploma.

On the wall opposite the quidditch banner and picture hangs a collection of pictures that range from pictures of family to pictures of friends to pictures of places he's travelled to. One of the pictures that catches my eye is of me, James, Al and Landen all dressed in heavy winter gear, all of laughing as Freddie comes up behind us and drops snow on top of us. I look away from the wall of pictures and grin when I see James and Al engrossed in a conversation about quidditch. I quietly excuse myself and venture toward the kitchen, wanting to see the entire apartment but not wanting to interrupt Al and James' conversation. On my way to the kitchen, I run into the blonde woman from earlier quietly leaving Al's apartment. "Ah... Now I understand why Al skipped over his room on the tour..."

The woman looks at me and smiles guiltily as she says, "Er, yes... I really must be going, though it was nice to meet you, Ariana."

I smirk as I respond, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed. "I'm sorry, I can't quite say the same since I don't even know your name..."

"I'm Isabela Swonson." She says with a still guilty grin on her face.

I nod thoughtfully before asking, "And how to you know _Albie_?"

She chuckles and smooth's out her shirt nervously. "I met him at one of his matches... Is this an interrogation or something?"

I smirk again and shrug. "Something like that... And what exactly are your plans with him?"

She chuckles nervously again and looks around for an escape before answering. "I, er... Look, I was only interviewing him for a magazine, alright?"

"Mhm..." I can't help but snicker at the fact that she continues to look at the watch on her wrist. "And how many times have you conducted these _interviews_?"

She glances at her watch again and sighs as she opens the door. "I _really_ have to get to work... Article deadline and all that..." She glances back at me and, with sarcasm hanging on her every word, she adds, "But this talk was lovely. Really, it made my list of top five conversations."

I grin at her and nod dismissively. "I found it to be quite informative... It was nice to meet you Isabela."

Isabela rolls her eyes as she walks out of the apartment, shutting the door quietly as she goes. I chuckle to myself as I enter the kitchen and begin searching through cupboards for a cup. Once I've found one, I pour myself some water and walk back into the living room, grinning shrewdly as I approach James and Al. "So Isabela sure was in a hurry to leave... Will we be adding her name to the list of one-nighters?"

Al shrugs with a smirk. "Depends on if she needs to do any more interviews..."

I roll my eyes and sigh, narrowing my eyes at him sternly as I murmur, "Who would have thought the sweet little Hogwarts valedictorian would graduate and become a man-whore..."

Someone knocks at the door and, as Al leaves the room to go answer it, he responds. "I prefer to think that I'm more of an _aficionado_ than anything else..."

I roll my eyes and laugh while murmuring, "Aficionado..." I raise my voice, yelling over my shoulder, "Load of bollocks if you ask me!"

"What's a load of bollocks?"

I whirl around, spilling a bit of my water in the process, and grin widely. "Lan! I didn't know you were going to be here too!"

Landen smirks at me and nods. "So, I have some good news..."

I watch him questioningly. "Alright, what is it?"

He glances at James, who is standing behind me, and grins before continuing. "Well, do you remember how, when we graduated and I joined the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, my plan was to be there for two years, and then I would attempt to move up to being an Auror?"

I nod, slowly piecing together what he's about to tell me. "Yes, but you stayed with them an extra three years... Wait, does this mean-"

He nods, a large grin on his face. "Yeah! I've finally been cleared to go into Auror training! I start next week!"

An excited cheer escapes from me as I launch myself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Oh, Lan! I'm so happy for you!" I release him from my death grip hug and ask, "Are you nervous? Three years of training is a long time... And it's a rather intense experience..."

Landen shrugs carelessly. "I think I'm pretty prepared for it." He smirks at me as he adds, "Besides, if _you_ can handle it then I think _I'll_ be alright..."

I smack him on the arm and narrow my eyes jokingly at him. "You know, I _was_ going to offer to help you out, but not anymore! You're on your own, mister!"

Al comes walking back into the living room fully dressed and carrying four brooms, two in each hand. "Are you lot ready to play some quidditch?"

"Yes!" I glance back and James and grin competitively at him while graciously accepting a broom from Al. Once I have my broom, I walk back to James and give him a peck on the cheek before saying, "I hope you're ready to lose, Potter..."

James accepts a broom from Al and places a kiss on my forehead, reciprocating my grin. "Merlin, Brighton! I find it adorable that you actually think you can beat me... Clearly you've forgotten that I play quidditch professionally!"

I raise an eyebrow challengingly, smirking at him as well. "Are you willing to place a wager on that?"

He laughs and nods confidently. "Oh I would _absolutely_ be willing to place a wager on that. Shall we go with the usual bet or shall we mix it up a bit?"

My smirk turns back into a devious grin. "Oh no, the usual will do just fine. I wouldn't want to stray away from the things that work for me."

He laughs again. "How do you know I haven't been letting you win these bets?"

I roll my eyes and shake my head. "Because we both know the only thing you hate more than losing is not being able to use magic, which is w-"

"_OI!_" James and I snap back into reality and grin bashfully, quietly apologizing to Al, who is staring sternly at the both of us. "Can we go play quidditch now or would you two like to _continue_ ignoring us?!"

James and I apologize again, though our half-hearted apologies are interrupted by Landen. "The usual? You couldn't possibly mean the 'no magic' bet, could you?" James nods, so Landen adds, "Come on, you two... No magic at all for twenty-four hours? Neither of you ever lasts that long..."

I roll my eyes again and open my mouth to answer, however, my retort is cut off by the sound of the fireplace roaring to life behind me and James. Before I can turn around and see who it is, Harry's voice sounds throughout the room. "Ari, we've had a break in the Bloomington case. I know you're supposed to be on vacation, but we really need to go."

I take a deep breath and turn around. "Are you sure that Fabrellon can't handle it himself? Does he _really_ need me there?"

Harry sighs, clearly uncomfortable with the fact that we are talking rather than leaving. "The break in the case is more of a hostage situation... They have Fabrellon..."

I momentarily stop breathing as the gravity of what Harry's just said sinks in. "They... They have Martin?"

Harry nods solemnly, knowing he need not say anything else on the subject. I turn back to James and give him an apologetic look, though he knows how sorry I am without me having to verbalize it. He smiles understandingly and says, "Go. Go get your partner back. Love you."

I smile and give him a kiss. "Thanks... Hopefully I'll see you tonight. Love you."

I quickly wave to Landen and Al then turn back to Harry and nod. "Let's go get Fabrellon..."

Harry gestures to the fireplace and says, "Lead the way. Wait for me once you get to the Ministry."

I nod, walking over to the fireplace and grabbing a handful of floo powder. I step into the fireplace and throw down the powder in my hand, being sure to clearly say "Ministry of Magic Headquarters."

Immediately I'm engulfed by a column of bright green flames. As the flames surround me, all I can continue to think is: _I'm coming for you, Marty..._

**Alright lovely readers! I know it's been a while since I posted a chapter, and I apologize for that! I've been a bit caught up with school and playing video games... I hope y'all can forgive me for keeping you waiting!**

**I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and I hope you're enjoying the story so far! I would absolutely _love_ it if y'all took the time to leave me a quick review letting me know what you think or if you have any requests/suggestions for future chapters! While I've got most of the story planned out, I'm always open to suggestions. :)**

**Thanks!**

**-Tx :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The green flames subside and I immediately step out of the fireplace and onto the busy floor of the Ministry of Magic. I nod a greeting to multiple people that pass by as I stand to the side and wait for Harry to floo here as well. I'm not kept waiting long, though, because Harry floo's in almost immediately after me.

As soon as he steps out of the fireplace I begin bombarding him with questions. "How long have they had Martin? Where are they keeping him? Why did they take him? How do we know that they have him? Do they have any demands? Who else is going with me to get him back? Am I going to have a team or am I going in alone?"

Harry grabs my shoulder and stops me, giving me a look that makes me stop talking immediately. "Ari, you need to calm down. We're on our way to the briefing room right now and I will answer all your questions there. Now, we really must hurry..."

As we make our way to the elevator, I can't help but think about the first time I met my partner, Martin Fabrellon.

"_Ariana, I know it's taken us a bit, but do you have a moment? Your partner has just arrived and I'd like for you to meet him."_

_I look up from the paperwork I'm working on and see Harry standing in the doorway of my office. I set my quill down on top of my desk and sigh, nodding in agreement and joining him outside the room. "Arrived from where?"_

_While guiding me to his office, he turns and smirks at me as he says, "Scandinavia..."_

_I nearly trip over my own feet in shock. "Seriously? Won't there be a language barrier or something?"_

_He lets out a hearty laugh while opening the door to his office, revealing a young, dark haired man sitting and waiting patiently in the room. "I don't think that'll be an issue... Mister Fabrellon?"_

_The dark haired man stands and approaches us, remaining silent the whole time._

"_Ariana, this is Martin Fabrellon. He was highly sought after and has just arrived here from Scandinavia. Please make him feel welcome." Harry then gestures to me and says, "Martin, this is Ariana Brighton. You two are going to be partners for the remainder of your time here at the Ministry. If you have any questions or need help with anything, she'll be the one to go to..."_

_I stretch out my hand in an attempt to shake his while, to make sure he can understand me, I loudly drawl, "HELLO. IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU."_

_Martin flashes Harry a confused look and slowly shakes my hand while Harry laughs again and says, "Though, if you're more comfortable asking your questions to other people, feel free to do so."_

_Martin grins, releasing my hand, and says, "Thank you, sir. I appreciate you bringing me here and welcoming me so warmly. I promise you won't regret the decision."_

"_Hold on! You speak English?" I look at Harry and add, "You didn't tell me he spoke English! I just looked like a loon because I thought he didn't speak English!" Harry gives me a stern look and I immediately retract my outburst. "Sorry, sir... I'll show him to the office and introduce him to the others..."_

_Harry nods approvingly, motioning to the door for me to go show him around now. We walk back to my now shared office in awkward silence, finally talking when we get to the first stop: the break room. "Hey, you lot." I gesture to Martin and say, "This is Martin Fabrellon. He's just come in from Scandinavia."_

_I then point to the individuals in the break room. "Martin, here we have Capperoll, Siscnero, Lioletta and Frostern. We have a few others who work here, but they're out right now."_

_Capperoll smiles and waves a pudgy hand at Martin. "It's nice to finally meet you. We've heard a lot about you."_

_Martin nods politely and says, "I'm looking forward to working with everyone here."_

"_Well, that's it for now... Let's go get you settled in your office." I lead him to our office and, when we get there, I see that there is now a second desk in the room and a stack of two boxes on top of the new desk. I take a seat at my desk while Martin begins unloading the boxes on his desk, both of us working in silence. While this happens, I decide to seize the opportunity to get to know my new partner and his mannerisms._

_He looks to be in his twenties, close to my age, with dark brown hair that's been combed neatly to the side and a cleanly shaven face. He has brown eyes and tan skin, the accent I faintly heard when he spoke suggesting he is of Spanish origin. He has a long, dark brown scar that runs down his cheek and a crescent shaped scar on the back of his right hand, which he absentmindedly rubs every now and then. Before I can observe anything else, he says, "Is there a reason you're staring at me?"_

_I shrug my shoulders and respond. "Don't take it personally, I do it to everyone. I'm just getting to know you better."_

_He smirks at me as he places a picture frame on his desk. "You know, you could always just ask questions like normal people do..."_

_I smile at him and ask, "Do we know each other well enough for you to be able to say I'm not normal?"_

"_I don't have to know you well to be able to tell that you're not normal... I knew that the moment you yelled a greeting at me!" He says with a laugh, temporarily halting his unpacking to look at me. "What do you want to know about me?"_

_I tap my chin thoughtfully and settle on my first question. "What were you doing in Scandinavia?"_

_He sighs, gently tracing the scar on his hand. "I was there investigating a case involving the Bloomington Brothers, who are three Dark Wizards who went to Durmstrang with me. They've been buying magical creatures off the black market and were threatening to release them amongst the surrounding cities. I was sent in to infiltrate their 'hideout' and figure out who was selling them the creatures."_

"_Did you end up figuring it out?"_

_He nods, a smirk on his face again. "Yes, I did. We ended up getting the Bloomington Brothers AND their seller, though their leader, Strevan Bloomington, was suspicious of my motives from day one. "_

"_I don't see how that brought you here though... Why were you so highly sought after?"_

_He holds up a finger and laughs. "You don't get to ask all the questions! You're not the only one who's trying to get to know the other..."_

_I raise my hands in surrender and smirk. "Alright, alright... What is your question?"_

_He mocks me by tapping his chin before saying, "What's going on with you and the Head Auror, Potter? You seem more comfortable around him than most..."_

"_Ah..." I say with a sigh. I've been here for a month and that seems to be the question that everyone asks. "Mr. Potter and I go pretty far back. He took me in when I was at my lowest point and, though he would say I'm being dramatic, I believe that I owe him my life and well-being. He and his family have saved my arse more times than I can count..." I can see a familiar look creeping onto his face so I hastily add, "I worked hard for this job though! I made it very clear to Mr. Potter that I was to receive no special treatment and that I had to work just as hard as everyone else, if not harder."_

_Martin holds up his hands in retreat. "I made no such presumption. You seem like a-"_

_A loud knock sounds on the door to our office, interrupting our conversation. Frostern smiles nervously at us then she hands Martin a file and says, "You two have your first case together. Potter's exact words were 'don't screw it up'."_

"_Thanks." I say as I accept the file from Martin and look it over. "Martin, are you ready to go-"_

"Ariana... Ariana... Ariana!"

I snap out of my memory and look around, realizing that I'm now seated in the briefing room with no recollection of ever arriving here, and Harry is standing at the front of the room attempting to conduct the briefing. "Sorry, sir... I guess I'm just a bit distracted..."

Harry sighs and shakes his head before saying, "Ariana, if you can't focus then I will be forced to keep you here rather than go recover Fabrellon..."

"NO!" I take a deep breath and repeat, "No... I'm completely focused. Please, sir, continue..."

He sighs again, watching me carefully as he continues. "Ariana, I was asking how you want to approach this. You _are_ his partner, so I feel that you know him best."

I shake my head slowly, confused about what he's talking about. "I... I'm sorry, I don't-"

Lioletta, who I didn't notice sitting next to Harry, clears her throat loudly before saying, "I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't quite paying attention when you were explaining the situation. Could you please explain it again? I know time is of the essence, so I'll be sure to pay better attention this time..."

I look at her and smile gratefully, turning back to Harry when she nods in response then motions for me to listen to Harry, who has reluctantly begun to explain everything over again. "Well, as you both are well aware, two of the Bloomington Brothers escaped from their prisons a few months ago. This was a case that Brighton and Fabrellon were both determinedly working on together. Last night, we received a lead on the Brothers location. When Fabrellon found out, he immediately leapt at the chance to try and apprehend them.

This morning, by owl, we received Fabrellon's wand along with a note stating that, if we don't deliver Strevan Bloomington to the location stated on the paper by noon, then they will send Fabrellon back to us in pieces. They said only one Auror may deliver their brother to them and, if we send any more than just one, they will kill Fabrellon on the spot. Clearly getting Fabrellon back safely is of the utmost importance. How do you wish for us to proceed, Ariana?"

I drum my fingertips on the table anxiously, a million different ways of handling this running through my head. "I, er... I think we should do as they ask. I'll take the prisoner to them by myse-"

"No! Absolutely not!" Lioletta angrily says while slamming a hand down on the table to emphasize her point. "We will _not_ release a prisoner! Martin Fabrellon wouldn't want that!"

I scoff and roll my eyes at her. "Excuse me?! You think you know what _my_ partner would want? You think _you_ know him better than _I_ do? If you _honestly_ believe that to be true than you really are as loony as th-"

She stands up abruptly and points at me. "Who do you think you are to talk to me that way?! I have authority here! You listen to _me_! Not the other way around! WE WILL NOT RELEASE THAT PRISONER AND WE WILL NOT RESPOND TO IDLE THREATS!"

I slam my hands on the table and stand up, forcefully knocking my chair back in the process. "NOTHING ABOUT THIS THREAT IS IDLE! EITHER YOU RELEASE THAT PRISONER OR I'LL FIND A WAY GET HIM OUT MYSELF! I WON'T LET YOU RISK THE LIFE OF A FELLOW AUROR BECAUSE OF YOU HAVE AN OVERSIZED EGO!"

Lioletta huffs loudly then looks at Harry for support as she says, "Are you really going to take the advice of this _child_? She clearly doesn't have a grasp of how serious this situation is!"

I laugh sardonically while narrowing my eyes at her. "Sure, I'm a child, but I'm a child with morals! I refuse to let your arrogance stand in the way of my partner's safety! Martin and I caught the Bloomington Brothers before, and we'll catch them again! we can't p-"

"QUIET!" Immediately Lioletta and I fall silent, both of us watch Harry expectantly. He stays quiet for a moment then says, "Ariana, you're sure you two can catch them again?"

Lioletta scoffs and grabs Harry's arm. "You can't _honestly_ be considering this!"

He ignores her and repeats his question. "Ariana, you're_ sure_ you two can catch them again?"

"Yes. I'm absolutely sure Martin and I can catch them again." I say, ignoring Lioletta's grunts and groans of disapproval.

Harry nods then stays silent for a few moments longer. When he finally breaks the silence, he looks over at Lioletta and says, "Charis, go get the prisoner ready. We'll leave in ten minutes."

When Lioletta, who grumbles loudly as she goes, leaves the room to go get the prisoner, Harry sits against the table and says, "At the time, I thought it was strange that we were required to keep the Brothers all in separate prisons, I now appreciate the fact that we did so..."

I breathe out a sigh and ask, "Sir, are we doing the right thing? Is it right to risk the safety of the populace just to save the life of one of our own?"

He pats me on the shoulder and says, "I have a plan. And, if things go according to that plan, we will get your partner back _and_ get all three Brothers back in custody..."

**Alright y'all! I would love to know what you thought about the chapter! :) I _hope_ you enjoyed it!**

**I want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! I really appreciate reading your reviews! They always put a big smile on my face! :)**

**I also want to thank everyone who has added this story to their alerts and favorites! I'm glad y'all have enjoyed the story enough to do so! :)**

**Thanks y'all!**

**-Tx :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_POP!_

I land in a somewhat familiar, snow covered Romanian field with my hand wrapped tightly around the restraints that bind Strevan Bloomington's hands behind him. I shove my shoulder into his back and urge him forward, earning a chuckle from him as he says with his thick accent, "Are yeh tha' eager tah ge' rid of me, lass?"

I roll my eyes and shove my shoulder into him again, pushing him another step forward. "I know it'll be hard, but try not to miss me too much. We won't be away from each other for long. Once I have my partner back I'll come find you and your brothers again and you three can get back to your separate cells, where you'll all stay until you die."

He laughs again as he slowly leads us to the rendezvous point. "Ah, but tha's where yer wrong, girlie. Yeh won' be findin' us again. Not before we can succeed in our mission. An' when tha' happens, yeh'll be so busy tryin' tah catch the magical creatures tha' yeh'll completely forget abou' tryin' tah find us."

I scoff loudly, ducking under a low hanging tree branch as we enter a snowy forest. "You know, I never understood that 'master plan' of yours... Magical creatures are already free, so what exactly would you be releasing?"

"Let's jus' say tha' the time I spent in mah ministry holdin' cell was very educational..." He stays quiet after that, the only sound heard being the crunching of snow beneath our feet. We finally exit the forest and enter into a field, where I see his two brothers standing on a hill with a third person standing securely between them.

I tighten my grip on Strevan's restraints and clench my teeth, silently praying that Harry's plan works in our favor. As we get closer to them, I can see that the third person has a cowl over their head so I assume it's Martin and I feel a glimmer of hope and confidence spark inside me.

Once we're almost in front of the three men on the hill, one of the brothers yells, "You two alone?"

I nod, hoping it was convincing enough for them and grip the restraints on Strevan's wrists so tight that my fingers begin to go numb. "Yes. Do you have Martin Fabrellon? Is he unharmed?"

The brother who just spoke to me, Arringo Bloomington, grins maliciously as he aggressively rips the hood off of the third person's head. "See fer yerself..."

Once the cowl has been removed, I can see that Martin has a few cuts and bruises on his face and neck, his bottom lip is swollen and it looks as though his nose is broken. My breathing becomes more rapid at the sight and I say tersely, "You said he'd be unharmed..."

Arringo laughs and pats Martin on the head, causing Martin to flinch at the contact. "We said no such thing, lass. We still had tah get 'im back fer the las' time he double crossed us... 'e's lucky we didn' cut out 'is lyin' tongue!"

I grunt angrily and thrust Strevan forward, still being sure to keep hold of his bindings. "Just take your garbage and give me back my partner..."

Arringo grins at me while pulling Martin up into a standing position and shoving him toward me. "Took yeh long enough..."

I release Strevan and quickly reach out to catch Martin, who is stumbling toward me with his hands still bound behind him. I hurriedly cut the restraints off his hands and gently grab his face in my hands, inspecting his wounds more closely. "Marty, are you alright?"

He flashes an exhausted smile at me and nods. "I knew you'd be the one to come get me..."

I return his smile then pull him into a hug, releasing him when he lets out a painful groan, and I say, "Well we _are_ partners... Besides, you've saved my arse loads of times. I figure it's time I finally return the favor..."

He laughs tiredly then leans against me and asks, "But what about the Brothers?"

I shake my head and quietly say, "Your safety is our number one priority. Besides..." I look around before whispering, "We're not here alone..."

I look at the three brothers across from me, who are finally removing Strevan's bindings and attempting to leave, and add, "Harry and Lioletta are supposed to wait until we disapperate from here then-"

I'm unexpectedly interrupted by Lioletta, who comes sprinting out of her hiding spot, rushing at the brothers and screaming like a banshee. After that, everything seems to happen in slow motion.

I can see Harry chasing after her and yelling for her to stop, and I can also see the Brothers recognizing that they were lied to and tricked as Arringo pulls out his wand and aims it at Harry.

I wriggle out from under Martin's weight and set him down on the ground, promising to be right back, then I pull out my wand and shoot a shield spell at Harry while rushing over to help him and Lioletta. However, before I can get to them, I'm slammed to the ground and my wand knocked out of my hand. "Sorry, lass. I guess yeh should 'ave come alone like they asked..."

"Get _off _me, Strevan!" I thrash my arms around wildly, hoping to connect with anything that could help me free myself. Finally one of my flailing fists connects with Strevan's face and each of us let out a howl of pain; him for his now injured cheek and me for my wrist, which I'm sure I've just broken.

Once Strevan has recovered from my punch, however, he gets a heated look on his face as he clenches one of his hands and returns the favour, making sure to hit me in the face as hard as he can. My head immediately snaps to the side and I spit out some blood and a tooth that he managed to knock out, letting out an aching groan in the process.

Suddenly Strevan is shot off of me and is sent flying off in another direction. I roll over onto my stomach and look to see who helped me, grinning when I see Martin standing behind me with my wand in his hand. "Thanks Marty! I owe you one... Again..."

He reciprocates my grin and opens his mouth to respond, only to me stopped by two separate spell hitting him square in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground in an unconscious heap. I quickly whirl my head around and see Arringo and his second brother, Colin, both have their wands pointed at where Martin once stood, both with malicious grins on their faces.

I quickly scramble over to Martin's body and check for a pulse, clenching my teeth when I realize that he's not actually unconscious, but dead. I pry my wand from his hand and swiftly turn around, firing a spell at the top of the hill. However, the Brothers are all gone and all that my spell has done is melt the snow in the surrounding area.

I push myself up from the snow covered ground, wincing when weight is put on my broken wrist, and spit out more blood before rushing to go look for Harry, who is only a few feet away from me helping Lioletta stand up. The moment I see her face, I'm filled with so much anger that I can barely contain it. I pocket my wand and run over to them and, when I believe that I'm close enough, I clench my fist and punch her directly in the face, knocking her back to the ground. "You _bitch_!"

I immediately gasp in pain, grabbing my wrist tightly and bouncing in place while I wait for the pain to subside. If my wrist wasn't broken before, it's definitely broken now... "Damn it!"

"Brighton!" Harry says as he helps Lioletta back up again. "Explain yourself!"

I scoff and throw my good hand in the air angrily. "Explain myself? _EXPLAIN MYSELF?! _My partner is dead because this _bitch_ couldn't swallow her fucking pride and follow directions! This is all her fault! HE DIED BECAUSE OF _HER_!"

Harry looks at Lioletta and quietly says something to her before turning back to me and saying, "Brighton, I understand what-"

"NO!" I shake my head angrily at him. "You don't understand! _Everyone_ says they understand, but nobody ever does! So don't feed me that bullshit line that you 'understand what I'm going through'! He was my _partner_! _My friend!_"

Harry clenches his jaw, and takes a deep breath, obviously in an attempt to stay calm, and ten pulls me over to the side and says, "Ariana, go head home and get cleaned up. Lioletta and I can handle things from here..."

I shake my head slowly, looking from Harry to Lioletta, who is standing by a tree with her arms crossed. "I... I don't understand..."

He sighs, placing a hand on my shoulder as he says, "Ari, your partner just died and you just threw a temper tantrum and punched one of your superiours in the face... I think it's best if you go home and take some time off..."

I shake my head again, this time more adamantly, and take a deep, calming breath. "No, sir. I'll be fine. I lost my cool for a moment, but I'm fine now..."

He sighs again and purses his lips before he says, "It wasn't optional. You can rejoin us in a week."

"But-"

"No, Ari. My decision is final. I need to do what I feel is best for everyone involved, and I believe this is it. I'll be by to check on you tonight..." He gives me one last pitied look before patting me on the shoulder and heading back over to Lioletta.

I clench my teeth and take a deep breath before, once again, walking back over to Martin's body and crouching down. "I'm sorry, Marty... I'm so sorry I couldn't get you out of here alive..."

With that being said, I stand back up disapperate back to Al's place. "Hello? Anyone here?"

I am met with a resounding silence that lets me know I'm alone in the apartment, so I make my way to Al's bathroom to search for medical supplies. When I finally find a medical kit, I open it up and search through it for something to splint my wrist with.

While magic can be used to fix my broken bone, bone mending isn't one of my strong suits and, the last time I attempted it on myself the day I broke my finger, I ended up with an extra hand. So, since that day, I've vowed to leave the healing and bone mending to the professionals and to just stick to the muggle remedies until I can go see a professional.

After fumbling through the kit for a bit, I a roll of gauze and tape, pulling them out and setting them to the side for later use, and then put the kit back where I found it. I look down at my swollen wrist, which is now a light shade of purple, and grimace as I walk into the kitchen and look for something hard to use as a brace for my wrist.

As I loudly and singlehandedly rummage through one of the kitchen drawers for splint material, I can't help but think about everything that's just occurred.

The Bloomington Brothers are free. Free from our custody and free to wreak havoc anywhere they wish.

I've punched one of my superiours in the face and am now on forced leave from work for an entire week, which means I won't be able to search for the Bloomington Brothers for a whole week.

And, worst of all, my partner is now dead. He'd saved my butt loads of times and I wasn't even able to return the favor...

I angrily slam the drawer shut and lean back against the counter behind me, still holding my wrist gingerly. "I've got to tell his mum..." I look down at my injury and sigh, "But I've got to fix this first..."

I go back to the drawer and pull out two plastic lids then use my wand to cut off the edges so that they fit on either side of my wrist. Once I feel that they're sized correctly, I clean up my mess then take my makeshift splints and head back into the bathroom.

Once in there, I quickly make a messy splint, being sure to wrap the gauze securely. When I finish, I place my wand behind my ear and take a deep breath before disapperating to a place I've been only once; Martin's mum's house.

**Alright y'all! Here's chapter seven! I hope y'all enjoyed it! I would love to hear what y'all thought about it! :)**

**Also, I would like to thank everyone who added this story to their favorites, everyone who subscribed to the story, and everyone who took the time to leave a review. I really appreciate all of it! :)**

**As I've said before, feel free to let me know if y'all have any suggestions for future chapters! I'm always open to ideas. :)**

**Thanks!**

**-Tx :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

As I stand outside of Marty's mum's house, dusting myself off and trying to make myself look presentable, I try to mentally plan what I'm going to say to his mum, knowing for certain that this is going to be one of the hardest conversations I've ever had to have. Almost immediately I hear, "Ariana?"

I hesitantly glance up from dusting off my sweater and sigh, mentally beating myself up for not seeing the person standing outside the house in front of me. Unfortunately, it wasn't the person I came here to speak to... "Erm... Hi Siscnero..."

Ryn Siscnero, a fellow Auror at the Ministry, crosses her arms sternly while asking, "What are you doing here? Potter said you were sent home for a mental health day."

I scoff while gently crossing my own arms. "Mental health day? More like mandatory leave!"

She shakes her head and repeats her question. "What're you doing here, Brighton?" When she sees me glance at the house behind her she sighs, dropping her hands to her sides as she says, "Oh... Brighton, why would you want to subject yourself to that? You _know_ it's going to be a rough conversation..."

I play with a loose thread on my sweater and look up to the sky and, in an attempt to prevent myself from tearing up, I take a deep breath before looking back at Siscnero and responding. "I just feel like I owe her an explanation... I mean, I was her son's partner for _two_ _years_. Shouldn't I be the one to tell her that he's gone? She needs to know that he died a hero..."

"And I'll be sure to tell her that." Siscnero walks over to me and places a comforting hand on my shoulder, clearly not buying my attempt at not crying, and shakes her head. "But the boss has ordered that you have nothing to do with any of this and has told me to personally make sure you stay away from Fabrellon's mum." When she sees that I'm about to argue, she shakes her head again and, with a tone of finality, adds, "Don't do this to yourself, Brighton. Go home, go get your wrist looked at, go sleep for the rest of the day. Do whatever you need to do to cope with this. Potter will let you know when you can come back."

I angrily clench my teeth then let out a shaky breath. "Fine..."

She squeezes my shoulder then releases it as she says, "I really am sorry about Fabrellon..."

"Yeah..." I said somberly before disapperating back to Al's flat. Once there, I make my way into the guest room and get onto the bed. I quickly look at the clock on the bedside table and make note that it's 1:00 before crawling completely under the covers and, once underneath, curling up into a ball and attempting to think about anything other than Marty's death.

I'm not sure how long I stayed under the covers in that position, but I don't emerge until I hear someone shuffling about the room. I slowly poke my eyes up above the covers and look around; smiling when I catch sight of a mud covered James Potter.

He smiles when he sees my head poking out from the covers and, the moment I catch sight of his smile, I jump out from under the covers and propel myself at him, locking my arms around his neck kissing him as hard as I can. He seems startled by the attack at first but, almost instantly, he's gotten over his initial shock and has wrapped his arms around me, pulling me flat against him as the kiss becomes more heated, our tongues fighting for dominance and our hands beginning to roam.

"_Really_ _you two?!"_

We break apart, both smirking at Al, who is standing in the doorway to the room with his arms crossed. James rolls his eyes at his brother and his smirk grows as he asks, "What do you want, Al?"

Al shakes his head and looks at me. "Really, Ari? He's covered in dirt and probably smells like a goat! What could _possibly_ make you want to kiss _that_?"

I let out a small laugh before glancing over at James and saying, "I think he looks cute."

Al rolls his eyes and uncrosses his arms then says, "He looks like an idiot. Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to go to the burrow, but I'll be back around four o'clock, so try not to need anything until then."

James laughs, leaning against the wall next to him with his arms crossed. "Al, we are two fully functioning adults. I think we can handle being here by ourselves."

This time Al is the one who smirks. "I didn't say you were here by yourselves, I simply said _I_ wouldn't be here. Landen and Eli are still in the kitchen, no doubt arguing about the fact that you and Eli are a couple of cheaters."

With that, Al flashes a quick glare at James then walks out of our line of sight. I turn and look at James, raising an eyebrow as I say, "Good match?"

James nods with a grin. "Yeah, though it started raining toward the end. Were you able to get Martin back?"

I look down at the ground and sigh. "Things didn't... No, we didn't get him back..."

"That's alright. I'm sure you'll get him back soon." When he sees the look on my face, he realizes what I mean and he pulls me into a tight hug, letting out a sigh before saying, "Oh... I'm sorry, love. Do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head, feeling a bit better the moment I'm wrapped in his hug. That's one of the great things about James; he knows how to make me feel better without even doing much. "I don't want to _think_ about it, let alone _talk_ about it..."

"Alright..." He nods, releasing me from his hug and grinning at me. "We could always continue what we were doing earlier..."

I shake my head and smirk at him. "Not quite. Al wasn't wrong when he said you smelled like a goat..."

He laughs, kissing me on the forehead. "Fine, I'll shower. Care to join me?"

I shake my head again and hold up my makeshift splint as I say, "I am actually in need of Landen's healing expertise."

"Ahh. Well..." He takes off his muddy shirt and tosses it onto the bathroom floor. "I guess you should go get that taken care of."

I smile and give him a kiss before saying, "Once I've gotten this taken care of, I want to hear all about the match."

He nods, flashing me a grin as he says, "And _you_ can tell me how you managed to injure yourself _again_."

I roll my eyes, jokingly bumping him with my shoulder as I leave the room. As I get closer to the kitchen I can hear Landen and Eli arguing about the match.

"Eli, you two cheated and you know it!"

I can't help the small smile the forms on my face as I enter the kitchen with them and see that they are just as muddy as James was. "Eli? Cheating? That is brand new information!"

Eli glares over at me, a smirk playing on his lips, and says, "Your boyfriend was on the team with me. Landen is accusing him of cheating too, A."

"I wouldn't be surprised. He's quite competitive." I shrug my shoulders and grin, extending my injured hand out to Landen as I get closer to him. "Lan, would it be too much trouble for you to fix this? I think I broke it..."

Landen shakes his head, gingerly grabbing my wrist and looking it over. "Not at all. What'd you do to it?"

"I, er..." I'm not sure what to say without reflecting back on the events from earlier today and I _definitely_ don't want to do that so, instead, I lie. "I hit it on a rock..."

He gently removes the splint from my wrist and sighs when he sees the large purplish bruise that runs from my knuckles down to just below my wrist bone. "Well the rock won..."

Eli chuckles then says, "I'm going home. I'll see you two tomorrow night."

I wave to Eli then turn my focus back to Landen. I can see him watching me out of the corner of his eye as he presses on different parts of the bruise. When his thumb finds a sore spot, I can't help but yank my hand away from him and curse loudly, tears of pain filling my eyes. He rolls his eyes and grabs my hand again, though he's gentler about it this time. "How long ago did this happen?"

I shrug again as I respond. "A few hours ago, I guess."

"Did you hit this rock when you were going to get your partner back? What's his name... Marshall?"

Rather than answer, I retract my wrist and say, "I'll, er... I'm just going to go see Hermione about this..."

Landen sighs and says, "Alright, alright. No questions..." He hands me my homemade splint and adds, "You're going to have to wear a splint until the party tomorrow night since I'll have to go make a potion for you. You'll definitely want to throw away this splint though. Why'd you make a splint rather than use the Ferula spell to splint your wrist?"

I shrug as I feel the color fill my cheeks. "I didn't really think about it..."

He laughs and waves his wand at my arm, quietly muttering _Ferula_ under his breath before saying, "Well hat's off to your innovation, I guess..." He tucks his wand away and adds, "I'm going to head home. I have mud stuck in places I didn't know it could go..."

I smirk at him and ask, "How'd they cheat?"

"Huh? Oh, Eli and James... They charmed our brooms so that our hands stuck to the handles... It was horrible."

I let out a laugh, clasping my good hand over my mouth when Landen glares at me. "Sorry, Lan... I'll be sure to smack him for it later."

He grins and pats me on the shoulder. "Thanks, Ari. I'll see you tomorrow."

I reciprocate his grin and wave. "See you tomorrow."

With that, he disapperates back home, so I leave the kitchen newly patched up and head back to the guest room, entering the bathroom just as James hops out of the shower and begins drying off. I wave my arm toward the door lazily and say, "Landen and Eli went home, so we have the house to ourselves until four."

He gestures to my wrist and asks, "Was Landen able to fix your wrist?"

I shrug my shoulders and say, "For the most part..."

He secures his towel around his waist and asks, "It doesn't hurt?"

I shake my head, raising a curious eyebrow at him. "Only when I put too much pressure on it, so no, not at the moment... Why?"

"Good." He says with a grin, crossing the room in a minimal amount of strides and kissing me fiercely. He pulls away from me almost immediately and adds, "We'll just have to be sure you don't put too much pressure on it, won't we?"

Rather than let me respond, he fervently kisses me once again, and we clumsily make our way out of the bathroom, our lips locked the entire time. We manage to slam into every wall on the way out, finally settling against the wall across from the guest room when we hear a loud knock on the front door.

James pulls away and groans, exasperatedly glancing at the door and muttering, "What _now_?"

The person knocks again before yelling, "Ariana? It's Harry, are you in there? Ariana, I'm coming in!"

**Oh my lanta guys! Guess what! Today is my birthday! I'm 21 today! :D**

**Anyways, I know it's taken forever for me to publish this chapter and I absolutely apologize for that. School has been crazy as of late, but I tried to make this chapter a long one to make up for the fact that it's so late.**

**I hope y'all enjoy the chapter! I'm not really sure how I feel about it, especially the ending. I would love to hear what y'all thought about it! I really really would! :)**

**Thanks to everyone who is reading this story and has reviewed and added it to their favorites! I completely appreciate you all so so so so much! :)**

**-TX :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

James and I untangle ourselves just as Harry apparates into the apartment. I immediately begin smoothing my shirt, ignoring the widened eyes of James' father, while James chuckles nervously and clutches the towel around his waist before quickly walking into the guest room.

"Is... I guess it would have been wise to let you know what time I was coming?"

I nod, looking anywhere but at Harry as a deep blush floods my cheeks. "Or at least give us the chance to answer the door first..."

He clears his throat uncomfortably and says, "Yes, well, it seems you're doing just fine, so I'll just be leaving now... I'll, er, see you tomorrow night at the party. We can talk about your hearing there..."

He walks past me and pokes his head into the guest room to yell his farewell to James just as I'm realizing what he said. "Wait... Hearing? What hearing?"

Harry gives me a curious look but, when he sees that I really don't know what he's talking about, he says, "Yes, a hearing... Ariana, you _punched_ a superiour. You didn't think that would go unpunished, did you?"

"WHAT?!" James exclaim as he walks out of the guest room, fully dressed.

I ignore his outburst and roll my eyes at Harry, pointing a finger at him. "You know _exactly_ why I did that-"

James looks at the both of us expectantly as he loudly says, "I DON'T! Who'd you hit? Why'd you do it?!"

"-and it had _nothing_ to do with Marty dying and _everything_ to do with the fact that she was the reason for his death! If she hadn't been so stubborn and had just followed your orders like she was supposed to, Marty would be alive and we would have the Brothers in custody! Now we have NO prisoners and Marty is dead! Her ego got us NOWHERE! Lioletta has had that punch coming for a long time now and you know it! Today was simply the last straw! If not me, it would have been done by someone else; it was only a matter of time..."

"Wait! You hit _Lioletta_?!" James asks with wide eyes and a hint of a smile on his face. "What did she do?!"

Harry sighs heavily, ignoring James and pinching the bridge of his nose as he slowly says, "You have a hearing on Monday. We will discuss the details tomorrow night at the party..."

I cross my arms and ask, "Who else will be there?"

"The Minister of Magic, Lioletta, and myself... I'll do my best to be sure your punishment is light."

I shake my head and say, "No. No offense, but I don't want your help. I don't want to make my way as an Auror by always receiving help from the famous Harry Potter. I'll go to this blasted hearing, I'll listen to whatever they have to say, I'll take their bloody punishment, and I'll do it on my own."

Harry sighs once again. "Ariana, don't be obstinate..."

I shake my head again, this time more adamantly, while uncrossing my arms. "No, sir. I-"

James places a hand on his dad's shoulder and says, "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to her."

I narrow my eyes at James and, with as much assertion as possible, I say, "You will do no such thing, James Sirius Potter!"

A smirk spreads on his face but, other than that, he ignores me and continues speaking to his dad. "You go on home and help mum and Grandma get set up for the party, and I'll handle her."

I let out a huff and look at him with wide eyes, my arms crossed tersely once again. "_HANDLE ME?!"_

James simply flashes me a teasing smirk before bidding his father farewell. "Thanks for stopping by to check on Nicola Adams here." He smirks at me once again and then adds, "Tell mum and Grandma that Ariana and I will see them tomorrow."

Harry ruffles his son's hair with a smile then gives me an awkward nod before disapperating out of Al's apartment. James and I stand in silence for a few second, both of us staring at the other challengingly, until I finally say, "Handle me, huh?"

He nods with a grin. "You heard me..."

"It's going to be pretty hard to '_handle me_' when you're stuck sleeping on the sofa..." I raise an eyebrow at him and ask, "Who the hell is Nicola Adams?"

He lets out a laugh, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall casually as he responds. "Nicola Adams was the first female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal back in 2012."

I let out a chuckle as I say, "Well aren't you a clever one!" I smirk and add, "Though clearly not clever enough to keep yourself from having to sleep on the sofa..."

James laughs again and shakes his head. "_I _think I'm pretty clever!"

"I guess _some _might consider you to be clever..." I say, rolling my eyes and grinning at him as I wrap my arms around his torso and rest my cheek against his chest. "So what are we going to have for dinner tonight?"

He sighs dramatically while wrapping his arms around me. "Why do I have to decide?"

I pull my head back and look at him, a grin on my face. "Because you're clever..."

"Well," he says, "How about we go out for dinner? You can explain why you hit Lioletta while we're there."

I roll my eyes and give him a peck on the lips. "Is this your way of '_handling'_ me?"

His smirks and he shrugs his shoulders. "How do you feel about Italian?"

"Italian sounds wonderful, though I don't know of any Italian places around here..." I say with a raised eyebrow.

He chuckles before saying, "Who said we were staying here?"

**Alright y'all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it was rather short, but I _promise_ they're going to start getting longer. Sorry it's taken me so long to get this one out, I just got Amazon Prime so I have been spending every moment I have catching up on Doctor Who and watching Sherlock. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out in a timely manner but I can't make any promises... :)**

**I would love to hear y'alls thoughts and opinions on this chapter. It would absolutely LOVE it! Honestly, it would make me the happiest person ever. :)**

**Thanks for reading! :)**

**-TX**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

A tall man in black slacks and a white t-shirt leads James and me to a small, square table that is covered with a white cloth. We take a seat across from each other as the waiter sets our menus in front of us and leaves, giving us some time to pick what we would like to eat.

As the waiter walks away, I look at James and smirk. "You know, when you said _Italian_, I didn't think you meant _in _Italy..."

James shrugs, returning my smirk, as he scans the menu intently. "Where else would we go for Italian food?"

I shake my head with a laugh as I scoot my chair out and get up from the table. "I'm going to go to the loo. Order me something with fish, please?"

He looks up from the menu and nods with a smile. "Of course."

I walk through the restaurant slowly as I try to find my way to the loo. Before I can get too far, the man who led James and me to our table stops me and asks, "Posso aiutarla?"

"The loo?" I tap my chin, a sheepish grin on my face as I try to remember the little italian I know. Finally I say, "Sto cercando il bagno..."

The man nods and motions for me to follow him as he walks toward the far corner of the restaurant and points to a wooden door with the word "Donne" on it.

I smile at the man and quickly say "Thank you" before pushing the door open and entering the small room. I walk over to the sink and lather some soap onto my hands before running them under the faucet.

I grab a towel off the marble countertop and rub it over my hands, my gaze casually lifting to look in the large mirror in front of me. A small groan escapes my lips as I lightly trail my fingers along a dark purple bruise that lines my jaw. When I got home today, I'd been so focused on my wrist that I completely forgot about the fact that Strevan managed to land a punch on my jaw. I check to make sure the door to the bathroom is locked before quickly pulling out my wand and pointing it at the bruise, letting out a sigh of relief when the purple fades and is replaced by my natural skin color.

I put my wand away and exit the bathroom, my eyes immediately searching for James' familiar face. I find myself doing that a lot lately; searching for James in crowded places, as if I'm a moth and he's the light I'm being drawn to.

I finally find the table I'm looking for and head in that direction, forcing myself to walk at a normal pace rather than run over there like I want to.

I take a seat at the table and smile as I take James' hand across the table. He grins at me as he says, "I see you fixed your bruise..."

I nod, running my free hand over the place my bruise used to be. "Yeah, purple isn't really my color..."

He laughs and says, "Our food should be here soon. Until then, you want to explain why you have a hearing on Monday?"

I pull my hand away from his and sigh. "You already know why. You were there when your dad explained everything..."

He gives me a stern look and reaches for my hand again, frowning when I pull it further away from him. "You know what I mean, Ari. Dad said you hit one of your superiours. You're not someone who just goes around hitting people, _especially_ one of your superiours. So, again, I ask _why_ did you do it?"

I shake my head angrily as I ask, "Why does it _matter_? It happened and now I'll face whatever punishment they come up with, even if that means this mandatory leave I'm stuck on is extended."

He raises an eyebrow at me and says, "Mandatory leave? You're on mandatory leave?!"

I open my mouth to respond but close it when our waiter comes to the table and sets our food down, glancing at us awkwardly before silently walking away. I let out a heavy sigh, letting out all my anger with it, and say, "I hit Lioletta because I was angry. I was angry that Marty died, angry that I couldn't save him, angry that the brothers got away and angry that our plan didn't work... Lioletta was the easiest person to blame when, in reality, I had just as much power to prevent Marty's death... Your dad's a brilliant wizard; he would have been able to protect himself. If I had just taken Marty back immediately, instead of trying to protect your dad, Marty would still be alive and everything would be fine..." A revelation hits and, when it does, it almost levels me. I stare down at my plate as I quietly voice my realization. "This is my fault... He-"

James takes my hand again and, this time, I don't resist. I look up with wide eyes and ask, "Can we talk about something else now?"

"Eat." He says with a nod, gesturing to my food. He waits until I've taken a bite and swallowed what's in my mouth before he asks, "What would you like to talk about?"

"Anything." I say as I push a scallop around my plate, my appetite completely gone. "Tell me about the quidditch match today. How did it go?"

James nods and swallows the bite of food in his mouth then says, "It was fun, though it ended on a bad note... Eli and Landen accused me and Al of cheating because their hands somehow '_mysteriously_' ended up glued to their brooms..."

I nod, smiling slightly at him. "I heard about that. Did you guys really do that to them?"

He lets out a laugh and shrugs. "Al _might_ have had something to do with it, but I tried to talk him out of it! He was convinced I..."

James continues to defend himself, but I'm not listening anymore. I continue to push a scallop around my plate with a fork and stare at my plate distractedly, my mind continuing to wrap around the fact that Marty's death is my fault. I clench my teeth together and fight back tears as I mentally add his name to the list of people who I've let die; another sin to beg for forgiveness from. I can hear my father's voice echoing in my head.

_How many more do you plan to kill, my little fireball? You're no better than I am! You really think that because you continuously think about them that they live on? You killed them! End of story! You're a murderer!_

_Get out of my head! _I think as I pull my hand from James' and drop my fork, placing both hands on my temples and applying pressure. I look down at my lap then I clench my eyes shut and attempt to think happy thoughts as I try to drown out my father's voice.

_Meeting the Potters_

_Meeting Landen_

_Living with the Potters_

_Becoming an Auror_

_Meeting James_

I feel James pulling at my hands but I shake my head and hold up a finger, silently begging him to give me a moment. His hands retreat, giving me the space I need, and I continue.

_You don't deserve him! _My father's voice angrily snarls again.

I know he's right but I shake my head slightly anyways, my fingers slipping from my temples and sliding so that I'm now gripping the sides of my head, and clench my teeth tighter as I continue my list.

_My first kiss with James_

___My first date with James_

_James Potter_

My father's voice snarls again as I successfully drown him out. I slowly open my eyes and resume the breathing I didn't know I'd stopped, my hands falling from the sides of my head to my lap.

"Ari?"

I hesitantly look up at James, my cheeks visibly showing the embarrassment I feel, and respond. "Yes?"

He stands up from the table, picking up the two to-go bags I hadn't realized he'd gotten, and extending a hand to me. "Let's go home, love."

I quickly wipe the tears from my face and take his hand, allowing him to lead me out of the restaurant. I grip his hand tightly as we enter an alleyway and, after he checks to see if the coast is clear, we apparate back to Al's house.

We land outside the front door and, as James unlocks the door, he says, "I thought you said he was gone..."

I shrug my shoulders, still staring at the ground in shame, as we walk in the house. "He was in my head for at least ten years, James. It's going to take longer than five years to get him out... He's not gone, he's just less prominent."

He shuts the door behind me and hands me the leftovers to put in the fridge as he says, "You know he's not really in there, right, Ari? He's dead..."

I put the bags into the fridge and nod with a sigh. "I know... That doesn't change the fact that I still hear him, though I usually only hear him in my nightmares." I shut the fridge and walk into the guest bedroom to change, James following behind me. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Jamie."

James pulls me into a hug and plants a kiss on the top of my head, leaving his lips there as he says, "There's nothing wrong with you, Ariana."

I roll my eyes, pulling out of his hug and scoff loudly as I pull of my shirt and pants, searching our suitcase for my pyjamas. "Oh please! We both know I'm crazy! Even people who've just met me know that there's something wrong with me!"

James unbuttons his shirt and tosses it on the bed with a laugh. "You hear the voice of the man who completely abused you as a child and tormented your every thought as a teenager. Yeah, there's something wrong with _you_..." He walks out of the guest room and into the kitchen, coming back with a glass of water in his hand. "You got out pretty quick this time. Are you finally going to tell me what you do to get out or are you going to continue to leave me in the dark about it?"

I stop my search for my pyjamas and turn around to face him, my cheeks turning red with embarrassment again. "I, er, think of you..."

He raises an eyebrow at me and places his water on a dresser while looking at me with wide eyes, as if my answer surprises him. "You think of me? What about me?"

I nod, looking at the ground bashfully. "Everything about you, really. From the day we met to now and every day in between. I think about your face, the way you furrow your eyebrows and stick out your tongue when you are concentrating on something, the way you-"

In an instant, his warm hands are around me, one around my waist pulling me against him and the other on my neck pulling my lips to his, interrupting my explanation. I'm a bit caught off guard at first, but I recover quickly and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him hard.

He pulls away from me, much to my dismay, and says, "I'm glad you think of me."

I can't help but grin at him as I say, "James, I always think of you. _Always_."

He smiles at me then kisses me fervently once again.

**I really hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I apologize that it took me so long to post it, but I had a bit of writers block with this chapter. In fact, the thing that got me over my writers block was reading the Divergent series. Those books are so good! _And the last one_ _absolutely BLEW MY MIND_! So much so that it got me motivated to start writing again.**

**Anyways, I just want to thank all of you who've left a review for this story so far. You have no idea how much I appreciate reading the lovely reviews you leave me! They absolutely make my entire day! :) I'd LOVE to hear what y'all thought about this chapter too! I truly and honestly would!**

**I'll try to post the next chapter soon, but I'm not going to make any promises since finals start next week and I plan on camping out at the campus library for the entire week. Wish me luck! I going to need it...**

**Thanks!**

**TX :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Ari, love, have you seen my tie? I can't seem to find it anywhere..."

I point to the strip of red fabric that rests on the bed and poke my head out of the bathroom. "It's on the bed, dear!"

I smooth my hands over my purple dress then turn back to the mirror in front of me and quickly pull my hair up on top of my head, twisting it into a bun. James enters the bathroom with me, his tie draped around his neck, and smiles sheepishly as he faces me and asks, "Help me tie it?"

I place a bobby pin in my hair, neatly securing my bun in place, and nod with a grin while tying his tie. Once I've finished with his tie I gently tug on it, pulling him down a bit so we're an even height, and give him a kiss before I say, "We'd better get going. We don't want to be late."

He grabs my hand, entwining his fingers with mine, and sticks out his bottom lip in a pout as he asks, "Do we _have_ to go? We could always just stay here and-"

I cut him off by shaking my head and grin as I say, "And have to deal with your mum and Grandmum? I don't think so!"

He rolls his eyes and smirks at me, firmly holding my hand as he apparates us to the Burrow. The moment we land in the field outside of the tall house, James grins at me and says, "I didn't realize you were so terrified of my mum and Grandmum..."

I tug on his hand, leading him toward the house, and laugh. "Not really terrified, but I'd be lying if I said they didn't make me a little nervous."

"As they should!" He says with a laugh and a wink as he opens the front door and walks into the Burrow.

Immediately we are greeted by the sounds of people laughing and talking mixed with the faint sound of music drifting into the house through the open back door. I tug at James' hand, pulling him further into the Burrow and out toward the back door.

The cool, winter air bites at our skin as we exit the Burrow and head in the direction of the music. The yard out back has the same large, white tent as it does every year but this year, the path leading to it is lit with glowing red and green orbs that line a path from the house to the tent. The entrance to the tent is wide open, revealing an expansive dance floor with multiple tables lined along the edges of the tent. I grin at James, who reciprocates my enthusiasm, as we get closer to the tent and the music becomes louder and clearer.

The moment we enter the tent James twirls me around and, after a few giddy giggles on my part, leads me out to the dance floor. I wrap my arms around his neck and grin as I say, "Well you've got quite the smooth moves, don't you Mister Potter?"

James shrugs his shoulders and grins back at me as he wraps his arms around my waist. "I do alright."

I lean forward and give him a kiss. "Oh, I'd say better than alright. You keep this up and you might-"

Before I can finish, a hand grasps my shoulder and a strong Irish accent asks, "Mind if I cut in? I believe Miss Brighton and I need to speak..."

I let go of James and turn to see who is asking to speak with me, since it's a voice I don't recognize, and I'm greeted by an unfamiliar face. The man standing behind me is old, with a scruffy, grey beard and messy grey hair. He has large bags under his eyes, that make it look as though he hasn't had a good night's rest for ages, and deep laugh lines that appear through his scruff, making it look like smiling was his favorite thing to do and he made sure to do it constantly. I raise a curious eyebrow at the man and extend a wary hand to him. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you so forgive me for being a bit curious as to how you know me..."

The man takes the hand I've extended to him and smirks at James as he says, "I promise to return Miss Brighton to you as soon as I've finished speaking with her."

James glances at me, giving me a nervous glance when I motion for him to leave, and gives the hand he's holding a light squeeze before walking away. I turn back to the man and place my free hand on his shoulder as I quickly sweep the area for anything out of the ordinary. "You have one song. Start speaking."

The man laughs as he leads me further onto the dance floor and places a hand on my waist. "Straight to the point. I like that... I want to start off by saying how sorry I am about your friend, Martin."

I slightly narrow my eyes at the man as he spins me around. "Who are you and what do you want?"

He ignores my question and continues speaking. "Next, I want to let you know that I'm not a threat to you or your family, so you can stop glaring at me and you can definitely stop squeezing my shoulder."

I loosen my unintentionally tight grip on the man's shoulder and continue to keep my eyes narrowed at him. "Forgive me for not trusting the man who has yet to introduce himself and knows information that's only just been released to the mother of the deceased. Now, your song is almost over so, if you haven't told me who you are or what you want by then, you're going to forfeit any and all opportunities to do so. Now, I'll ask you one more time. _Who are you and what do you want_?"

The man lets out a loud laugh and says, "My, you _are_ as fiery as they say! Though 'fiery' isn't exactly the word I normally hear used... My name is Lachlan McGregor and I have a job for you."

"Thank you for the very vague offer, but I already have a job with the Ministry." I stop our dancing and attempt to pull my hand from Lachlan's grip.

"Oh, that's not what I hear." Lachlan tightens his hold on my hand and waist, holding me in place, and continues. "I hear you're currently on mandatory leave. So, now your partner is dead and you're out of work... Sounds like you need a distraction. _Sounds_ like you this job. It's a simple job, really. I need you to retrieve something I've lost. It's a win-win situation!"

I take a step closer to Lachlan, my teeth clenched as I angrily say, "_I'm not interested_!"

"Please, Ariana, I'm desperate..."

I stare at the man through narrowed eyes then let out a sigh and resume my dancing with him. "Fine, let's say I decide to be your little gofer. What exactly would I be retrieving for you?"

Lachlan releases a breath and shakes his head. "Not what, but who... It's my wife. I believe you know her, actually. Her maiden name when she was at Hogwarts was Quell. Monroe Quell."

I'm unable to stop my mouth from falling open when he says Monroe's name. "You want me to retrieve _her_? She was _horrible_ to me the _entire_ time we were at Hogwarts together! Why would I even need to retrieve her, anyways? If she wants to come back, she'll come back..."

He shakes his head again before warily looking around us. "No, you don't understand. She didn't _leave_, she was _taken_. They took my wife and left a ransom note in her place. They didn't ask for money either. They want..."

Lachlan continues talking, but I'm not listening anymore. Monroe was absolutely horrible to me the entire time I was at Hogwarts, so the fact that I'm even considering helping her is absolutely crazy. Or is it? I mean, she may be a terrible person, but that doesn't mean that _I_ have to be. Besides, Lachlan is correct when he says I need this job. It could be what helps me deal with Marty's death. I was the reason his life ended, but I could also be the reason Monroe's life is saved. But do I really think her life is worth saving? Is her life really worth the one Marty lost?

I look at the still speaking man in front of me and sigh, knowing the moment my decision is made that I'm going to regret it. "I'll do it."

Lachlan abruptly stops speaking and looks at me with raised eyebrows. "What?"

I sigh again, stopping our dancing and placing a hand on his arm. "I'll do it. I'll bring Monroe back to you."

**Oho! I bet y'all thought I was dead, huh? Fortunately, I'm not! I've just been absolutely swamped with homework all summer long. However, I took my last final today so I figured today would be the perfect day to update this story! I hope y'all enjoy the chapter and I would love to hear your thoughts on it! I'll post chapter 12 once it's typed up. Hopefully it won't take me as long to get that chapter up.**

**Thanks!**

**-Tx**


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